The Dark and the Divine - Story 1
by monlette
Summary: The very dark and adult adventures of Kunzite and friends in the time of the Silver Millennium. Kunzite loves women, but not as much as he loves Zoisite. If any part of that sentence bothers you, you may want to skip this one. Or at least stop/start reading when they finally meet in a much later installment. Warning: This one has a twist of lemon.
1. Chapter 1

I die again, but a creature such as me can never truly die. My corrupted soul is whisked back into the realms of demon limbo, where my true love waits for me, just as he always does. Soon we will be together again until I am taken from him once more and the cycle begins anew as living demons in another great age. He is usually the first to die, yet I am always the first to be reborn.

I am Lord Kunzite and I was once a man. I lived in an age scores of thousands of years before your own, and yet not much different. Does that surprise you? To know the men who built the sphinx wore trousers and had indoor plumbing? The sphinx endures, but the inventions you people pride yourself on have not been invented so much as rediscovered. The dinosaurs went extinct once, only to be reborn and become extinct again. So shall it be with mankind.

The following is a tale set before the final nighttime fell upon the silver millennium of the moon and the first (forgotten) age of mankind on earth. This might be considered a happy tale or a tragic one, depending on how gladly you are willing to embrace the darkness that exists within the hearts of all men. And women. Our hearts are not as different as we might want you to think.

I embraced the darkness willingly. I have always loved the dark. My beloved feared the dark. He fought against it, and I fought to keep it from claiming him. Yet it seduced him just the same. And with my only love claimed by the darkness, there was no reason for me to walk within the light.

Yes, you see we weren't always the demons we became. We were we once something much nobler, more pure of heart. We were also weaker, almost powerless, nearly to the point of being frail and pathetic. We were once human beings, just like you.

This is the story of how we were set upon the path that took us away from the possibility of reincarnation within the human realms. We did not choose this path. We were not that wise.

**Part One – The Nights in Venus**

**Chapter 1**

It started with Beryl and it ended with Beryl. She sat in the king's garden, spinning flax into linen with her spinning wheel as Endymion approached me He pushed me by the shoulder until we were beyond Beryl's hearing.

"Kunzite, you are coming with me to the moon," he said, as if it were a simple fact.

"Why would you think that?" I most certainly was not going to the moon. I was a warlord with a small army to lead across the frigid mountains that made up the spine of Pangea. I certain didn't have time for a tea party at the behest of Queen Serenity and her all-female tribe of courtiers.

"I need you there." He looked back at the court magician and he saw her sitting motionless at her wheel, staring back at us. "I need you to protect me."

"You'll have Beryl to protect you."

"I need you to protect me from Beryl."

Alas, poor Beryl. She put her head down and pretended to devote her full attention to her spinning, but her dark red cascade of hair was tilted and her ample bosom heaved with every turn of the wheel. "Beryl is going to stay there a while to learn magic. She might be obsessed with you, but she takes her work very seriously. She'll be far too busy studying the arcane to chase after you."

Endymion nodded. "Yes, but not before Father offers me up as a potential bridegroom to the Moon Queen's only daughter."

I couldn't help but smirk, even though Beryl had my full sympathy in this matter. "I take it Beryl didn't respond well to the news that your father has discovered and broken off your secret betrothal?"

"Um, it's not that," Endymion broke into a sweat and wandered away from me, his arm curled behind his head. "I worry she won't react well, once I tell her."

"You haven't told her yet?" I gripped him by the shoulder and spun him to face me. "You must tell her now. She needs to hear it from you before she learns this from someone else."

Endymion waved his hand. "Oh, I'm still going to marry her. Only, we'll have to sneak away and marry in secret, out of sight from my father."

I held up a hand to caution him. "You should not speak of such a thing so casually and within my hearing. I am the king's warlord, and I am loyal."

"Yes, but you are also my good and loyal friend. As well as Beryl's. This is what is best for the kingdom. My father just doesn't realize it yet."

I glowered at him. "Do not test the bounds of my affections against my duty. I swore an oath to the king, and I intend to serve him faithfully for the remainder of his days."

"My father is a heartless old fool who cares nothing for true love. He only cares for riches and power an alliance with the moon will bring him. You know that as well as I do."

The king was hardly an old fool. He was a hearty man in his fifties, barely yielding to paunch and graying hair. He only seemed old to Endymion, who was at that time callow enough to want to marry the first woman who seduced him. I barely paid attention to such matters, but Endymion was only twenty-two. Beryl claimed to be twenty-nine, but she had been claiming to be twenty-nine in all of the six years I had known her. The lines near her eyes lead me to believe she had been twenty-nine quite a few years prior. She came from common peasant stock, and as far as I knew Beryl was childless and perhaps beyond childbearing. Had Beryl succeeded in her plot to marry the crown prince, it would have been a tragedy for the king on many fronts.

Still Endymion persisted with all of the misguided passion only a young fool can muster. "I love Beryl and she loves me. Nothing will stop us from marrying. Not him, and certainly not you. But I need for her to be discreet, and patient, and discretion and patience were never her strong suits."

We looked back at Beryl, who had stopped her spinning again, and stared at us with her mouth fixed in a line of worry. I knew she couldn't hear us, but she must have judged our expressions.

"Tell her the king has discovered your plans and forbids you from marrying her," I said. "Tell her now."

"I can't do that! She'll kill me."

"Tell her now. Or else I'm not going to the moon with you."

Endymion smiled at the implied promise in my words. "Thank you, my friend." He said and kissed my hand in gratitude before he rushed off to Beryl. She smiled and rose, then frowned as he pulled her close and spoke with their heads together. For a moment I thought he wouldn't keep his word and sought only to deceive me. Then she shrieked and she lunged for her wizard staff. She tried to bash him with it as he took off running.

They didn't run toward me, and I thanked the heavens, since I wanted no part of this.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As we approached the mooncraft, I understood Endymion's misgivings about sharing a cabin with Beryl during her foulest of tempers. The craft was small. In its entirety it was small. Almost as small as my quarters within the castle, which were by no means modest. I'd often complained the gold tiled chamber with its arched windows, huge bed, mosaic tub, silk hangings and writing area was far too luxurious for a man more accustomed to sleeping between the mountains and the stars. I would have been happier in a dark little alcove with a cot and a desk. And yet Endymion insisted anything less would be a slight against my station as well as our friendship, so I accepted his hospitality. After all I only lived there a few days at a time.

Yet as palatial as my part time housing was, it was certainly not suitable to hold the king, his guard, his son, the court magician, and the entire royal entourage and their gifts for the moon court for the next three hours.

Endymion, Beryl and I entered a tiny compartment with a table covered with ice buckets of champagne, bowls of strawberries, and trays of toast with pate or caviar against one wall and a padded leather bench against another. Between them was just enough room for the three of us to move to our seats. Endymion entered first, gripping my arm to lead me along so he wouldn't have to sit next to Beryl. For a moment I wondered why the king still had them travel together, but knowing the king as I did, as well as his son and magician, he knew it would be better to let them fight it out in this cramped closet-sized compartment than to force them apart like the star-crossed lovers they no doubt assumed they were.

Beryl and Endymion showed no interest in fighting. They took their seats on either side of me as solemnly as if they were attending a church. Endymion reached for a bottle. "Champagne?" He offered without looking at us.

"I'd like some," Beryl said grimly.

He filled a glass, which Beryl accepted graciously. One would almost think they were being cordial, except they still refused to look at one another.

Beryl lifted a tray. "Hors d'oeuvres?"

"I wouldn't mind trying the one with the buttered crab," the prince said.

"You mean this one?" Beryl said, and pointed at a round of toast with her long nails.

"Sure. Why not?" Endymion said without looking.

"Here you go." Beryl set the toast on a plate then twisted and leaned toward Endymion so that her breasts would be mashed against either side of my face.

I knew the game she was playing and it was a foolish one. She hoped to prove to Endymion that she was someone he would have to fight to keep. It was a foolish lesson since it also proved she wasn't worth fighting for.

I held her at arm's length as if the gesture was an accident. She gave me a long venomous look.

"Would you like a few berries to go with your champagne?" She held up the crystal bowl of strawberries.

"Why not?" Endymion said.

"Here you go," she said and tipped the bowl so that that all the fruit spilled onto my lap.

"Oh, dear," her hand flew to her mouth as the other worked its way between my thighs. "I'm so clumsy. Let me dig that out for you." She gathered up the berries, and once she had retrieved them all she continued using her fingers to knead my upper thigh, all the way up, which she massaged with all the skill of a high priced courtesan.

I sighed, drank my champagne, and made no move to push her away a second time. I was a soldier. If she thought I'd be shocked to receive an erection while sitting hip to hip with my best friend, she clearly had no idea what went on at your run-of-the-mill battlefield brothel. So I sat there and enjoyed myself, though I found it a little sad. I was genuinely fond of Beryl, but I wasn't attracted to her. Some men went crazy for fleshy women, but I wasn't one of them. I preferred them athletic. The firmer the better. That's not to say I'd turn down sex with Beryl if she offered it. I was just a man after all. But it would have to be an act of friendship, and sheer boredom on both of our parts. Not the sad desperation currently on exhibit.

Still a hand is just a hand, and any hand is better than using my own. I picked up an orange, and peeled off the rind to dig out the sections. As I ate Beryl didn't miss a stroke. I didn't worry that I was betraying Endymion. Endymion deserved to know the sort of mistake he intended on making. If what she was doing bothered Endymion, maybe he'd learn to be less of a fool when it came to women.

Endymion didn't even bother to look. Instead he stretched back and sipped his wine. Looking out the window at the sky above. He only turned to us after the ship ascended past the clouds and the cabin had grown dark with the eternal nighttime of space.

"Look, out the window," Endymion said with an awed voice.

Beryl and I looked up as one, and her hand stopped kneading me through my uniform. Her talons were buried between my trousers and my tunic. Endymion hadn't looked at us long enough to notice, so enchanting was the view from the window above us.

We all fell silent for a great many minutes, overcome by the majesty of the cosmos with its mystical darkness speckled with swirls of cosmic light.

"The moon and the Earth," Endymion said. "They look so large."

"The stars," Beryl said. "The stars and the planets are shining so brightly."

"The darkness," I said. "It goes on forever."

We sat and stared through the window for the rest of the trip. I was so enchanted by the darkness I don't know if Beryl resumed her massage.

I don't believe she did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The moon thrived in the time of the silver millennium.

As a boy I'd grown up in the wilderness without even the rudiments of civilized technology. Had someone told me that in the cities you can turn a knob and hot water would flow out of a wall and into a basin, I would have thought it was the work of demons. Or that I could speak into a tube and my voice would carry for almost a mile. Or that I could turn a small wheel and my room would fill with heat and light from a far distant fire.

Yet, by the standards of the moon, even these small miracles seemed like the sad parlor tricks of a toddling civilization. We landed in a field of flowers. It was daytime on the moon, and the cites were places of colored light and giant screens with moving faces and flashes of unicorns, rainbows, and kittens and other cloyingly sweet things. The moon cities served as a backdrop for the moon palace, which rose up forever, water spraying from flower shaped spires. The air was warm, spring flowers bloomed, and yet a lake of ice stood before the palace, with people skating across it. The women on the moon wore very little, their tiny skirts sometimes fluttered up, bearing the full length of their legs. Occasionally I saw a flash of tiny white underpants, but the women made no blushes and no attempted to cover themselves in our presence, unconcerned by either cold or modesty.

I couldn't decide if I approved of this or not, but as a hot blooded young warrior I had to watch. As did Endymion who tilted his head to get a better look, even though Beryl scowled at him and bit her lip. Many of these women held little tablets in their hands. They ignored us to gaze upon portraits of human faces like the ones on the screens within the city. The skaters spoke to them as if they were real people and not merely a face on a slab small enough to hold in their hands. Many of the girls without these slates smiled at the prince, and the ones that didn't smile at him smiled at me.

This was nothing new. With his tall build, handsome face, clean cut onyx black hair, and sapphire blue eyes, most girls found him attractive. The ones who didn't tended to prefer men like me, with my muscular build, long silvery hair, tan skin, and ice blue eyes.

But this was the first time we were being openly ogled by girls who were practically nude by earth standards.

Beryl looked down at her now dowdy dress, and tightened the stays at the bodice so that her chest stood high and tight, straining at the neckline. When she saw this wasn't enough, she tore the cloth panel beneath the strings away completely, so that you could fully make out the shape of cleavage, trussed up like hams for the smoke house, bared to all onlookers, all the way to her now exposed navel.

At long last, the Queen of the Moon approached our landing party, carried in a moon shaped sedan chair carried aloft on long poles by a group of young beauties in golden helmets and tiny golden armor over pure white tunics. As they reach the king of Earth, the young women lowered the seat and knelt before our king. One of these young amazons held up her hand to help her queen descend from her chair. The king of Earth stepped forward in his crown and ermine robes. "Allow me," he said.

The queen took his hand and descended like a moth, tall and pale and ageless and slim in a white dress, with hair even fairer than my own, done up into two puffs on either side of her head with the remainder trailing ankle-length to either side. "You do me great honor, my lord."

"Nowhere near as great as the honor you do me, Your Grace."

Queen Serenity looked about. "So where is that handsome son of yours? I hear his beauty is nearly as legendary as his valor."

"He is here," the king said, pulling Endymion forward. "It is my fondest wish for him to take a moon maiden for his wife, and it is my fondest hope we will align our two planets by marriage."

The young women giggling with a mocking lilt behind their hands, but the queen gave them a warning look before smiling at the king again. "Forgive them. They find humor in your words only because marriage is no longer practiced in my realm, and has not been for some several thousand years."

The king's face fell. "No marriage?"

"The people of the moon have very long lifespans," the queen said. "We feel marriage is akin to slavery since it binds one person to another, even beyond the point when it is no longer their will to be together."

This made sense to me. I saw no point to marrying except to establish paternity of a lineage, and since I had no plans to father any sons of my own, I had no desire to marry.

The king scratched his head. "But who provides for your women during childbearing?"

The young ladies did not bother to laugh at this, they lowered their faces as if deeply offended.

The queen slowed her speech as if speaking to a simpleton. "I provide for everyone. The moon does not have much in the way of natural resources, but between trade and magic, there is more than enough for everyone. All of our wants and needs are met and nobody does without."

"So there is no money either?" the king guessed.

The queen smiled. "Yes. We have no monetary system, and no need for money."

"So what is to stop your people from being lazy?" the king asked.

I thought it was a perfectly good question, but the girls clenched their fists and looked angry. Even the queen didn't bother to smile. "Why would anyone choose to lazy?"

A long silence fell over both parties, the queen's women looking bemused, the king's people agitated as if trying to puzzle out what great faux pas had occurred. I myself did not care either way. It appeared to me that both sides were behaving childishly. But my role here was to serve the king and protect the life of the prince, and it didn't seem to me there was any danger. Unless someone did something truly stupid.

At long last, the king chuckled and slapped the prince on the back. "I see I have a lot to learn about life on the moon, but with such charming beauties as I see before me as our teachers we shall be more than delighted to learn."

I worried this might cause deeper offense. The few warrior-women I'd encountered on earth would have considered such compliments to be belittlement. However, the queen looked delighted by the king's words, as did her ladies who blushed and whispered to one another behind their hands.

"And it appears I have much to learn about your earth customs," the queen said. "So we will learn from each other. And while we are on the topic of learning, I understand you've brought a young apprentice-maid in need of training?"

Beside me, Beryl winced as if she had been struck by a whip. Those slights I understood at least. I don't know which part offended her most. The expectation she was young, that she was an apprentice, that she was a maiden, or that she 'needed' training. Beryl stepped forward and bowed.

The queen's big blue eyes opened wide and the warrior maids averted their own. At first I thought it was because she realized how different Beryl was from her preconditioned ideal, but then I saw a few of the queen's women in the back pointing and snickering openly at Beryl until she turned deep red and tried to cover her mammoth breasts with her hands.

On Earth it was considered obscene for a woman to uncover her legs. Apparently, the moon had a similar taboo when it came to breasts.

The moon queen patted Beryl's head. "Your room is near the stables. We've left the door open for you. Find me in the training room after you've changed into something more suitable," the queen wandered away to dismiss Beryl who just stood there with her head low and her shoulders quivering in shame.

As we begun the long trek to the moon palace I hung back a little to drape my cloak around Beryl and draw her close. She sighed and leaned against me.

"Thank you," she whispered, as we followed behind all the others.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

We arrived at Beryl's room and I tried to break away to rejoin the prince but she beckoned me inside.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you in the ship," she said.

I didn't understand why she felt compelled to apologize, since I rather enjoyed it. "It's not me you owe an apology to."

"You've always been a good friend to both me and Endymion and I used you. Now I feel I've strained and snapped all the bonds of our easy friendship just to spite the man I love."

I looked deep into her eyes. "Please don't take this the wrong way, but what you did in the ship meant less than nothing to me. I enjoyed myself, I won't lie, but I'm more than willing to forget it ever happened if it will make you feel more comfortable."

Beryl smiled. "You know me so well. If only I had fallen for you instead of that thoughtless youngster." She sighed and looked around her small room, which consists of a cot, a dresser, a vanity table and a wardrobe before making a face. "I don't like it here."

"In this room?"

"In this kingdom. Everything about it makes my skin crawl."

"Oh?"

"Queen Serenity said there is no money. That everyone's every wish is hers to command. So tell me—who scrubs the toilets here? Who mucks the stables? Who sweeps the streets? Who buries their dead? How does she persuade her people to take up arms and fight when she is threatened by her enemies?"

"Maybe the queen doesn't have any enemies."

Beryl narrowed her eyes. "Everyone has enemies, Kunzite. Especially women like her."

I had no answer for her so I kissed her hand and parted company.

"Keep an eye on Endymion," Beryl called after me. "Ensure he remembers me and remains faithful to his vow to love me, and me alone."

I walked away and made no such promises. I hoped she wouldn't noticed. I think she noticed and decided to hold it against me for countless centuries afterward.

With Beryl situated, I sought out Endymion. The queen was giving the people of Earth a tour of her palace. I joined in behind the king, and Endymion gave me a smile.

"You're just in time," he whispered. "The queen is going to introduce us to her inner circle. This will be of great interest to you since they also rumored to be among the moon's greatest beauties."

The door opened and we saw a throne set into a semicircular dais, on either side sat a group of young women. Some were blondes, some were brunettes, the youngest even had her black hair streaked with blue, but they all wore short white dresses trimmed in different colors and stood and saluted with admirable form. The queen clapped her hands together, and the youngest, dressed in white and blue to match big blue eyes and her chin length blue-streaked hair stepped forward with the grace of an angel. I guessed her age to be somewhere between seventeen and twenty, but closer to seventeen.

"I'm Sailor Mercury, and I fight for love and intellect." She struck a pose and bubbles rose from the girl's upraised palm before she quietly stepped back to join the others. She had a cute face, and an even cuter figure, but despite her wild hair-coloring she seemed too shy and too mild to be of interest to me.

The next wore red including saucy red heels that showcased her long sexy legs as she struck a pose. "I'm Sailor Mars, and I fight with passion and prayer." She was a rare beauty with sloe eyes and long raven hair that shimmered like a waterfall in the light of the flames that rose from her palm.

Her body was excellent, but her face was too harsh and her voice was too haughty. Some men liked breaking down and taming their women, but I wasn't one of them. I dismissed her from my imagination almost as quickly as I noticed her. I doubt she would have cared if she knew. When she returned to the lineup, she stared at Endymion as if he were something good to eat and leered as boldly as any sailor from earth.

"I'm Sailor Jupiter, and I fight with enormous strength and power." The next wore green and pink which sparkled as a ball of lightning filled her hand. She was tall for a girl, with rose earrings and a brown ponytail knotted up top which made her even taller. Not as tall as me, of course, but she easily overtopped Endymion. Beyond that her face and figure were nothing remarkable. Not a beauty in the tradition sense, yet she had bewitching green eyes which exuded a lot of sex. Despite her plainness she intrigued me even more than Mars.

Yet I nearly forgot her when the next woman stepped forward. "I'm Sailor Venus, and I fight for love and beauty."

A beauty she was indeed. A leggy blonde in strappy orange heels with cornflower blue eyes and a red bow at the back of her hair. I guess she was the oldest, about twenty-five. She had a playful smile and was just as trim and sexy as Mars, but with none of the dark haired beauty's harshness.

Venus looked at me with the same interest Mars showed Endymion, and she made sure she had my attention before she demonstrated her magic by making a heart of light appear in her palm which she blew toward me like a kiss until it dissipated in the air. I smiled and she winked at me.

"And last but not least, I'm Sailor Moon, and I fight for love and justice." The last girl stepped forward, in red and blue, and saluted with her feet spread wide apart, all coltish legs and blond pigtails. I guessed her to be the younger sister of Sailor Venus, so similar were their looks. She was cute rather than sexy, so I dismissed her as I did Mercury, until she smiled at Endymion, and that smile lit up the entire room. For her magic she held up a brown and wilted rose which turned white and fresh in her hands before she step toward us and offered it to Prince Endymion with a pretty blush coloring her cheeks.

Endymion took the flower then knelt and kissed her hand. "I assume you are also called Princess Serenity, daughter of the Queen of the same name and heir to the Moon Kingdom."

All the women in the room went silent, except for Sailor Moon, who chuckled and broke into a sweat. "Now what would make you say a thing like that?"

"My own eyes," Endymion said. "Queen Serena must be your mother, since she is descended from the goddess of the moon and her beauty can only be eclipsed your own."

"Who told you that?" The queen demanded. "The identity of the princess must remain a closely guarded secret until she ascends the throne."

"So you admit my guess is correct?" Endymion said with a wink, making to attempt to rise or release the moon princess's hand from his grasp.

The younger women giggled at that and the queen's smile returned. "Run along girls. The esteemed monarch from earth and I have much business to discuss."

The women, including Venus and the moon princess, darted from the room, whispering and giggling and staring at us as they left. It struck me as odd that the queen would dismiss her guards in the presence of an alien monarch, but I suppose it was meant to be a show of trust and goodwill. Or a show of power, the queen's magic was rumored to be beyond the stuff of earth legend.

In either case, the king had no choice but to respond in kind. "Men, you are dismissed as well."

Endymion tugged his sleeve. "Might I leave as well, father?"

"If you must, though it would be far more diplomatic if you remained here."

Endymion chose to take his words at face value.

"Thank you, father." Endymion shook his hand before grabbing me by the shoulder. "Come, Kunzite, we'd better figure out where those girls went."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

We didn't find the girls, the girls found us. We'd given up looking, wandered about the city and amused ourselves by going to a bar. We'd been happy to learn there were bars on the moon that served hard spirits. We also discovered there were men on the moon. Up until we reached the city, everyone we had met had been female. The moonmen, however, seemed like a drab lot, seedy of build and utterly cowed. No wonder the moon maids seemed to go crazy for the two of us. They'd probably never seen proper muscles before.

The prince and I been sit in a bar drinking a hard drink that tasted more like candy when Venus, Mars, and the princess showed up, wearing makeup and clubwear and clearly ready for a good time.

"Mind if we join you?" Venus asked.

"I'd mind very much if you didn't," I said as we made room for them.

Venus slid in beside me while Mars and Serenity settled on either side of Endymion. They were both being all sweetness and light toward the prince, but I could tell with Mars it was all an act. Princess Serenity on the other hand probably couldn't have put on an act if she wanted to.

"Where are your friends?" I asked while Endymion just blushed at the sudden companionship.

"Jupiter already has a boyfriend, and Mercury doesn't want one," Venus said and flagged down the barman for a fresh round of cocktails.

"You aren't supposed to let them know we are hitting on them," the princess hissed in a stage whisper.

"I didn't," Venus shrugged and took a swig. "You did, just now."

The princess made a big-eyed scrunched-up face only she could get away with and still look pretty.

"So, which do you prefer. Blondes or brunettes?" Mars turned and batted her eyes at Endymion.

"I think he likes redheads," I said.

A sweat drop emerged on the prince's brow. "Actually, a woman's inner beauty is what really counts."

"I guess that rules out you, Mars," Serenity said, and the two stuck their tongues out at each other.

Venus turned to me, and stirred her drink with one finger before sucking it clean. "I'm sorry, handsome, but I didn't catch your name."

"It's Kunzite."

She leaned in closer until the front of our bodies touched and then looked up at me. "So, Kunzite. Blondes or brunettes?"

"Blondes," I said without hesitation, and Venus gave a little clap and moved even closer, practically snuggling with me at the table.

"Oh, this is perfect," Serenity blurted out. "Kunzite, you like blondes and Venus goes crazy for hot guys with silver hair. It's kind of her thing." She added an open-mouthed wink in my direction.

"Oh, grow up Serenity," Mars said with a toss of her dark hair.

"What? I'm just trying to help our friend get laid."

Liquor sprayed out of Endymion's mouth and Mars had to pound him on the back to keep him for choking.

Serenity lowered her voice, her eyes filled with innocence. "Did I say something wrong?"

Mars rolled her eyes. "Well, if you managed to use your Earth Studies textbook for anything but a flyswatter, you'd know that Earth people are hopelessly uptight about trifling matters such a casual sex."

My brow creased. "Hopelessly uptight!"

Endymion's brow creased. "Trifling matters!"

Venus put down her drink and patted my hand. "Forgive them their youth. Girls, why don't you leave the schoolbooks behind, and just concentrate on showing our new friends a good time. You guys want to party with us?"

Party with them? Did she mean group sex? I didn't think so, but nothing would have surprised me at that point. I was certainly up for it. The only thing that seemed more attractive than bedding down with Venus, was the prospect of bedding down with Venus and two of her closest friends. But from the several shades of red Endymion had cycled through, I guess it might be a bit much for him. Plus, he had Beryl to contend with, and she wasn't even on a different planet.

I cleared my throat. "As much as we'd like to party, this is our first time on the moon, and I'm afraid this all might prove a bit overwhelming for us."

"First time on the moon?" Venus tugged me away from the table and Mars did the same with Endymion. "We need to take you boys souvenir shopping so you'll have some gifts to show your friends back home."

"The Pink Seahorse?" Mars asked under her breath with a wink.

"The Pink Seahorse," Venus whispered and winked back.

"What's the Pink Seahorse?" Serenity asked in her normal voice.

Mars held her finger to her lips. "It's only the very best toy shop on the moon."

Princess Serenity stopped and stamped her feet. "The very best toy shop on the moon and you never took me there?"

Mars yanked her by the arm. "Well, we're taking you now, so quit complaining."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

I guessed from the way the two older girls were winking and snickering that the Pink Seahorse was going to be a sex shop and I wasn't disappointed. The sign hanging outside the shop showed a cartoon with a nude nymph riding a seahorse with hearts instead of eyes. The prince and princess took one look at that sign and their hair rose on end. At least Endymion's did. The princesses pigtails seemed to bob, but her expressive face made it clear she was just as scandalized as my friend was.

"I don't want to go in there," she said. "That place looks way too nasty!"

Mars winked and dragged her in. "Yes, that's the point. Come on."

Venus and I walked in without hesitation. I'd visited a sex shop only once, as a teen, and left without buying anything since I didn't see the point. They didn't offer anything I couldn't get for free just by asking. I looked forward to it now, just for that little touch of nostalgia.

Nothing about the place was nostalgic. I hoped for a dark dive, with men of all ages reading pornographic comics and a bald guy with a big gut worked the counter stinking out the place with the stench of sweat and loneliness.

This place brightly lit with a perky middle-aged women in a pinafore working a counter that was covered with gear and apparel featuring hearts and kittens and unicorns. None of it looked familiar, or even vaguely erotic to me, yet when Mars dragged around the prince and princess by the scruffs of their necks, they both looked mortified.

"What's this?" Endymion asked, holding up an oddly shaped contraction the size of a brick with buttons and knobs on it.

"Oh, that?" Mars said. "That's an orgasm inducer."

Endymion turned chalk white and let it drop from his hand while the princess screamed and back away when it landed near her feet.

Mars laughed and patted the princess on the shoulder. "I'll bet you they have these on Earth but they are all shaped like dicks."

The princess didn't saying anything but she trembled and her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the floor. Endymion looked at her with a tender concern I'd never seen him show around Beryl.

"I hate this place," the princess wept. "It's not romantic. Let's leave here and go iceskating instead."

Mars ignored her and Venus held up a sickeningly orange rubber corset. "Hey, Kunzite, how would you like to see me in this?"

"I'd rather see you wear nothing."

She lowered it. "Ah, that's so sweet."

Mars went straight for the bondage gear. There was a display with two manacles hanging from a archway. She put her hands through them, arched her back, and moaned suggestively. "Oh, Endymion, I've been such a bad girl. Why don't you come over her and spank me on the ass."

Endymion went white in the face, turned around, and took off running out of the shop at full speed with the princess hot on his heels.

Mars took her hands out of the shackles and put them on her hips. "Fine, loser!" she said at the spot where Endymion had been standing just a few seconds before. "I didn't want a gay like you touching my ass anyway, you dumb jerk. I'm clearly too much woman for you to handle."

She hoisted her shoulders, smoothed her hair, and walked to the exit with her head held high.

"Where are you going?" Venus asked.

"Back to the castle," she said. "This place bores me so much I need a nap."

Once she was gone, Venus smiled. "Poor thing. She likes to act tough, but she's really a big softie and she's upset that the guy she likes seems to get on with the princess much better."

I nodded. "Yes, I guessed as much."

"You're pretty perceptive for an Earthman."

I glowered at her. "Do all moon girls like to bandy about Earth insults, or just the queen's inner circle?"

She laughed and hugged her arms around my neck. "You're right. That was a pretty lousy compliment. But I meant it in the nicest way possible."

I gripped her waist and brought her in closer to me. "Maybe I can change your preconceived notions about Earthmen."

She closed her eyes and tilted her head. "Maybe you already have."

She parted her lips and I went in for the kiss and the woman behind the counter cleared her throat, so we broke off. "Hey, this isn't a love hotel! Can I help you two find anything?"

I hoped I wasn't being too forward, but I decided better safe than sorry. "Yes, where do you keep your condoms?"

"Condoms?" She looked at Venus who shook her head then looked back at me. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I don't know what those are."

Maybe they were called something different here. "Rubbers?"

They shook their heads.

"Contraceptives?"

They shook their heads.

"Prophylactics?"

"Profowhat?" Venus said.

"Birth control?"

"Birth control!" Venus backed away and looked like she was about to slap me.

"Oh, birth control pills," the woman said. "We don't sell those here. You'll have to find a midwife."

"Oh…wow. No," Venus hugged herself and turned away from me. She wandered off a bit then rushed back and grabbed both my hands with a serious look on her face. "Kunzite, I don't know how to say this…I'm sure you're a great guy, and I like you a lot… but this is all fun and games for me. I don't think I'm ready to have a baby just yet."

"Yes, I know. That's why I'm looking for birth control."

"Wait…what?" Venus said. "If you're not trying to get me pregnant, what are you doing looking for birth control?"

We stood there for a minute while the wheels turned in our head until they met in the center. And we exclaimed "Oh" at the same time.

"So, you're telling me moon girls are barren by default. That they have to take a pill if they want to get pregnant."

She nodded. "And you're telling me that women on Earth are always fertile and they get pregnant every time they have intercourse? Without even trying?"

"Not every time, but there is always that risk."

"Whoa," Venus shuddered. "That's the scariest thing I've ever heard in my life. But it certainly explains a lot about Earth people."

I growled at her and she raised her hands.

"Sorry, I'm trying."

The woman behind the counter leaned forward. "I'm glad you two lovebirds got that sorted out. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes," I said. "Do you have a lubricant? Or is it called something different here?"

"Lubricant?" Venus laughed. "That's for old ladies."

"I'm pretty big," I told her.

She slapped me on the shoulder. "That's a pretty bold claim. I'm guessing you just don't know a lot about foreplay."

I drew her into my arms. "I'm guessing you have a very limited imagination."

She shrugged and I shrugged and we went in for a kiss. The woman behind the counter cleared her throat again. "Can I get you some lubricant or not?"

"Yes, please," I said.

For a woman who worked a sex shop she was certain good at ruining the moment.

"What flavor?"

"Flavor?" I asked.

"We have over 256 flavors. Our most popular flavors are blueberry, sour cherry, tutti-frutti, caramel banana, lemon meringue, peach cobbler - "

I looked at Venus. "I thought you said this stuff was for old ladies?"

"Old ladies on Earth don't like peach cobbler?" Venus asked.

I sighed. "Do you have any that's unflavored?"

"What fun is that?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"I'm a warlord," I informed her. "I don't like going to bed smelling like a candystore."

She frowned at me and slapped a small brown glass bottle on the counter. "Sandalwood scented oil. No flavor, but it smells delightful. I'm afraid it's about the manliest thing we carry here."

"Good enough," I said.

I wondered how to pay for it, but the woman just put it on a bag covered with glitter and sparkles and handed it to me. "Enjoy."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

*Lemon alert*

Thankfully, Venus took the bag before we walked out onto the street, letting it swing like a pendulum in her hand. "So what now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "You tell me, you're the local. What do you want to do?"

"I want to find a nice private spot and see if you're as big as you claim you are."

I smiled and put my arm around her. Venus was my kind of girl.

"I take it that's a yes?"

I nodded and she clapped her hands again. "Just let me call Mars and let her know I'm not to be bothered for the next fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes? You really do have a limited imagination."

She grinned up at me "No one's lasted longer."

"When I'm done with you, you'll need at least fifteen minutes to screw your head on straight."

"Ha. You're pretty arrogant. I like that about you. An hour then?"

"Try three."

Venus raised a wrist pendent to her face and tapped it. "Mars," she said. A portrait of Mars appeared on the surface. "Hey, Mars. How's it going?"

To my surprise, the portrait answered. "Not bad. Jupiter is setting up the hot pot for Mercury and I in her room. We're gonna stay up all night and gossip about you."

"Sounds good," Venus said. "Did you ever hear back from the princess?"

"Um, yeah," Mars made a face. "Lil' Miss Moonpie and her earthman are going iceskating. Then she wants to get some street food and walk him through the flower market on their way to the petting zoo."

"The Petting Zoo," Venus said. "That sounds pretty hot. Is that the new high rise luxury love hotel they just built in the capital?"

"No, stupid. She's taking him to an actual petting zoo!"

"For real? With cute little fuzzy animals and carnival rides?"

Mars nodded in disgust. "For real!"

"And he agreed to it?"

"He was positively giddy. I think Miss Purity has finally met her soulmate. Speaking of which, what happened with Mr. Tall, Dark and Sexy? Has he bailed out on you already? I thought you were going to ride him hard and put him away wet?"

Venus smiled. "He's standing right her listening to every word." She swung her wrist toward me and I waved at Mars.

Mars grimaced, loosened her collar, and turned beet red. "Ah, sorry. That was awkward."

"Not at all," Venus said. "He already knows I'm going to nail him. Anyway, I'm turning my phone off for the rest of the night, so don't call me for any reason. If there is a crisis, I'm appointing you leader in my absence. Tootles." She touched a button and Mars' face vanished.

"I take it that thing on your wrist is a phone?"

"They don't have these on Earth?"

"No."

She screamed as if scalded. "You need a phone! It's impossible to survive without one!" She grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into a shop where a bunch of watches, slates, and large square screens filled the room with images.

"I don't want one," I said.

"Of course you do. These things are great. If you have one of these people can talk to you whenever they want to, no matter how far away you are."

"And that is exactly the reason I don't want one."

Venus grabbed one off the display and strapped it to my wrist. "We'll take this one."

I humored her for the moment, intending to misplace it as quickly as I could.

"You tap it, think of my face, and say my name and then my phone will beep to tell me I have a call. Like this: Venus." Her wrist made an annoying chirping sound until she tapped it off. "See, when you aren't calling someone it even tells you the time, so you never miss anything important."

"How interesting," I lied, looking at the slave bell thing manacled to my wrist. "So what are we going to do now?

#

It was a miracle we made it to the bed. No sooner had I closed the door than Venus threw me up against a wall, pulling my head down and kissing me with brutal intensity while she forced off my clothes. I responded by stripping her down to her underwear and then lifting her off the floor so that she had to straddle my hips with her legs to keep from falling. She did this without missing a beat, curtaining my face with her hair, and biting my lips with her teeth.

I'd never met a women so sexual aggressive. She bit my neck and I heard a clunk behind her as one of her shoes fell off. She kicked the other away and pushed against the wall with her foot so that I was propelled toward the bed. She hadn't let me get a good look at the layout of the room, and her hair was in my face so I had to stagger blindly, bumping into things and knocking them to the floor in the process. I tried to set her down, but she clamped her arms and legs around me like a vise of steel.

We made it just the same, tumbling onto the mattress and Venus came up for air only long enough for us to strip off the remainder of our clothing. She pushed me onto the bedsheets and draped her body over mine.

"You're pretty strong for a woman," I said, rolling over so that she was flat on her back with me on top of her.

"You're pretty strong for a man," she said and rolled us over again and knelt over me so that we were tangled up in the bed sheet. "Ready for it?"

"I'm as ready as you are."

"So let's see how you stand up against all the hype." I pulled the sheet away and she took a peek.

She shrugged. "I've had bigger."

"Really?" I said and sat up so that we were both resting on our folded legs. She mounted me and I filled her by pressing down on her upper legs with slow and steady pressure until her eyes rolled and she caught her breath.

"Ok, maybe not."

Then she moved, staring into my eyes and biting her lip as she rode me with the same furiously intensity that we used to wreck the room. Between her movements and mine, I figured we'd wreck the bed as well. I discovered she was every bit as strong as I was, and I was tremendously strong by earth standards. I found I liked it. Still, despite her assurances I wouldn't need a condom, I didn't entirely trust myself without one, and it made the whole experience a little unsettling. At last she came, howling like a coyote and I found myself climaxing as well, before I had a chance to pull out.

She rolled away from me and draped herself with the covers. "Wow. That was intense. You were right, you are amazing. I don't think I've ever been this sexually satisfied before in my entire life."

"No less amazing than you," I said while smoothing her long flaxen hair away from her face with my hand.

She winked at me. "So what do we do with the rest of the three hours?"

"Is there anything to do around here besides shop?"

"Like what?"

"Like something dangerous?"

Her eyes sparkled. "How dangerous?"

"The more dangerous the better."

"Oh, you want to go to the dark side. Finally, someone brave enough to come with me." She clapped her hands together. " Want to see the deadliest place on the face of the moon? We call it the House of No Return."

"Sounds interesting."

"Great. I'll have to get my mask. Let's shower and then we have to go back to my apartment."

I looked around at the wreckage we'd left in our wake. "This isn't your apartment?"

"No this is a love hotel, silly." She tossed me my clothes from the floor and laughed. "You didn't actually expect to sleep in my apartment on the first date, did you?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Venus's apartment was back in the moon palace. The queen's inner circle had their own dormitory. We walked past Mercury, who sat on a couch in the common area wearing flannel shorts and tanktop and typing on her phone. Venus led me to the door at the end, looking both ways before unlocking the door.

"You must promise never to tell anyone what you see behind this door," She whispered. "Especially not Serenity or the Queen."

"Why not," I said.

"You'll see," she threw open the door and it was not what I expected at all.

Let's just say the Venus was probably the messiest woman I'd ever met. Her room was so strewn with junk that I couldn't see the floor. I could barely see the bed for that matter. She waded through the knee-high piles of clothing and food packages and looked around until she found a white cat perched on the dresser.

"Artemis, have you seen my mask?" The cat said nothing, because it was a cat, but Venus rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, spare me the lecture. I know I could find things faster if I tidied up a bit, but who has time to clean? Yeah, well kindly shut up and help me find it... A friend... Why do you want to know? You know, you really need to learn to mind your own business, Artemis."

Great. The woman I just had sex with was talking to a cat. A lot of women talk to cats, but rarely do they have such in depth conversations.

The cat dived off the dresser, then reemerged with a leather domino mask in its mouth. Venus took the mask and tied it around her face. Then turned to face me. "What do you think?"

"Why do you need a mask?" I asked.

"We're going to the dark side. That's where the queen sends all the violent criminals. If they recognize me as the captain of the queen's guards they will mob me and kill us in an instant."

"And you think that tiny strip of leather around your eyes is going to fool anyone?"

"It's a magic mask. It renders me completely unrecognizable."

Except it didn't.

Now I was getting really nervous about not wearing a condom earlier.

"Not to you," she laughed. "You saw me put it on, but if you didn't, you'd have no idea who I was."

I started to back away. She pulled a pair of leather pants from the mess and gave them a sniff before she took her shoes off. There was no way I was raising her child, but I couldn't leave a baby with her because she'd probably drop it and never find it again.

I fled to the common area and sat next to Mercury. "Do you mind if I asked you what might be a very awkward medical question."

She looked up at me and nodded.

"Is it true that moon girls need to take a pill in order to get pregnant?"

"Yes. That is correct." She gave me a reassuring pat. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"But maybe it's different if a moon girl has been with an Earthman?"

"Totally impossible. We don't ovulate the same way Earthgirls do. Don't worry. You're safe."

Sailor Jupiter opened a door and peeked her head out. "Come in here, you two, hot pot is ready."

We were the only two there, so she had to mean me. And I was practically starving, having not eaten anything since Earth, but she was dressed in a frilly pink babydoll nighty. I thought that was a little risqué for young woman inviting a strange man into her room. Until I came in and saw Mars was wearing a red bra and panties.

Don't look, I told myself over and over. Don't look. Don't look. Don't look.

There was a cooking pot in the center of the room with a tray of chopsticks, meats, and vegetables. I followed their lead and sat cross-legged on a mat facing the pot.

It amused me to remember that when I told Endymion I didn't have time for a teaparty on the moon, I was being metaphorical.

Jupiter picked up some chopsticks. "The way this works is that everyone has to put something in before they can take something out." She dropped in a mushroom. Mercury dropped in a slice of yam. I dropped in a slab of meat.

Mars dropped in a slice of carrot, then quickly fished out my slab of meat and ate it raw.

Mercury gave her a hard stare and dropped in another slab of meat and gave me a pat on the arm. Mars dropped in another carrot and fished out the slab of meat and chuckled at me as she ate it.

I dropped in another slab of meat.

Mars reached for another raw slice of carrot and Jupiter grabbed hold of her wrist. "Do that to him one more time and I will punch you in the nose."

Mars threw her chopsticks in the air. "Fine! I'm sick of this stuff anyway." She got up and turned to sulk and I noticed the red panties were actually a thong.

Don't look, I told myself over and over. Don't look. Don't look. Don't look.

I managed to get a good size meal before Venus appeared wearing head to toe black leather. Leather boots, leather pants, leather belt, leather jacket, leather gloves and leather mask. She was covered up from head to toe but looked absolutely stunning.

"Ready to have some fun, Kunzite?"

Mars turned and smiled. "You're taking him out on the moonbike?"

"Yep," Venus said. "Right after we find him some protective leather clothing."

Jupiter shook her head sadly. "Trust me, you're not going to find any bike gear for a guy who's seven feet tall unless it's custom made. I know of what I speak."

Venus took my hand. "Then I guess this is really going to be an adventure."

"Where are you going?" Mars asked.

Venus shrugged. "Oh, nowhere in particular."

Mars crossed her arms. "You're taking him to the dark side, aren't you?"

"Of course not. That would be foolhardy."

"Then why are you wearing your mask?"

Venus shrugged. "Oh, no reason."

As soon as we were out of earshot, she leaned over. "We need to go to the armory and get some weapons. Purely as a precaution, of course. I doubt we'll have to do any actual fighting." She took me to a weapon rack and handed me a boomerang-shaped throwing blade. "I trust you know how to use one of these?"

I took the blade from her and hurled it at a target, where it embedded itself in the bullseye.

She stood there with her mouth open for a few seconds before she said, "I'm impressed."

Once armed, she took me to a metal frame with a long seat and three big black wheels.

"What's that?" I asked.

"That's my moonbike."

"Moonbike?"

"It's like a motorcycle, but it can handle moondust."

"Motorcycle?"

She wrinkled her brow. "Motorbike?"

I shook my head.

"Bicycle?"

I shook my head.

"Mechanical horse?"

"It looks more like a three legged goat."

She handed me a helmet and climbed on. "Anyway, have a seat behind me and hold on for dear life. All you need to remember is that you twist the handle forward to speed up and backward to slow down. Oh and don't put your foot in a wheel well or you'll get maimed for life."

I got on behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. The moonbike came to life with a roar and we took off like we'd been shot from a cannon. Venus yelled with excitement as we sped across the landscape, leaping over dunes and following a dark road until we reached a shimmering curtain of light in a massive gray wall and then she kept going until we emerged on the other side.

The scene outside the wall looked completely different than the scene within. The men and women here were skeletal, some more dead than alive. They gathered around bonfires in tattered clothing and stared at us in fear.

"Who are these people?" I asked.

"I already told you. They are violent criminals. Murderers, rapists, child molesters…anyone who poses a danger to society and can't be cured of their depravity is sent out here to fend for themselves."

"Isn't that a bit inhumane?"

"What do you do with your violent criminals?" Venus asked.

"We hang them."

"And you think that's any better?"

"Yes. I do."

"Then I guess we disagree," Venus said.

We kept riding for quite a while until we reached a crumbling stone wall in the middle of a desolate moonscape. A huge arched gate stood closed but unlocked before us, ready to be opened.

"Here it is. The House of No Return."

"Why is it called the House of No Return?"

"Because nobody who goes inside the house ever returns." She opened the gate revealing a courtyard littered with skeletons surrounding an ominous looking stone temple in the center of it. "In actual fact I don't think anyone even makes it to the front door." She reached into a saddlebag and pulled out a rope. "Care to see how close you can get before I have to drag you back to safety?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I waved off the rope and drew a throwing blade.

"That's not going to help you," Venus said.

"Why? What is going to happen?"

"Well…I don't know for certain since I've never gone in there, but first thing that happens is that you hear a roaring sound in your ears. Then the air fills with orange and purple smoke, you lose all sense of direction, which is bad since you've only got a second or two to get back through the gate before stone arms reach out from the ground to grab at you…"

"And then?"

Venus shrugged. "Who knows? Nobody has made it back to safety at that point."

"And you've never tried it yourself?"

Venus smiled. "I'm the captain of the queen's inner circle. My death is going to be recorded in our history books, so I can't die doing something irresponsible."

I sheathed my blade and grabbed the end of the rope.

"You might want to tie that around your waist in case I need to haul you back."

"I'll take my chances." I stepped past the fence and into the yard. There were dead trees here and dozens of skeletons littering the ground. Some looked fairly fresh, with tatters of clothing. Other were nearly buried in the dusts of time. I walked slowly with long strides in case I needed to turn on my heels to find my way back. Venus stood at the gate biting her lip, her fingers tensing on the rope. I took a long stride, and another and another, walking past outstretched skeletons and piles of bone. When I was about six paces from the door I looked back at Venus. "Is something supposed to happen by now?"

"I don't know," Venus said. "All I've heard is that nobody manages to reach the front door."

I walked up to the front door and pressed on it with my finger. It creaked open. "I think someone has been taking their ghost stories just a little too seriously."

Venus threw down the rope, drew a sword, and marched toward the house. "There are way too many dead bodies around here for this to be a simple campfire story. If the stories aren't true, then someone has been using this place as a hideout for generations upon generations."

"Maybe you should stay back while I check it out."

"Ha, Earthman, maybe you should stay back while I check it out. Whatever is in there, the queen needs to know about it."

She cleared half the distance between us when she dropped the sword and stared in terror. "Kunzite?"

"What?" I looked behind me, but the doorway looked pitch dark.

"Kunzite!" She screamed. "Kunzite! Follow my voice!"

"Venus!" I moved toward her as she staggered in circles, her face set into a mask of absolute terror.

"Oh, no," she stopped and stared down, pulling on her legs with her arms while her feet stayed firmly on the ground. She bent toward the sword but it was out of her reach. "Kunzite!" She screamed. "Kunzite! I'm trapped! I can't help you!"

I ran toward her. "Venus. I'm safe. Whatever you're seeing right now, it's not real."

She batted the air, them pointed upward with her arms. Two moons appeared above her and collided

"CRESCENT BEAM," she cried out and pointed her finger at me with her other hand on the crook of her arm. A ripple of energy formed around her and I dove aside as a blast of light emanated from her arm, felling a tree only feet from where I was standing. She spun and the beam sliced through the trunks of every tree in the vicinity before she pointed it skyward and used it to slice through the night air.

"Stop!" I shouted. "It's an illusion."

"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN," A swirl of hearts appeared around her and she grabbed the end and cracked it like a whip. Where it hit, the dust swirled and the bones flew or cracked into powder. I stopped shouting. It was clear the evil magic that had invaded her mind made me invisible to her. She flailed at random, no direction was safe. Yet I had to get to her. The one advantage I had was that she couldn't move her legs. I kept low, dodging her attacks and weaving in until I was close enough to lunge at her. Then I sprung, pushing at her midsection until she tumbled backwards.

Still it wasn't enough. She looked at her ankles curiously. "How…" Then she screamed and began squirming with her feet and arms pinning themselves to the ground.

I grabbed her by the armpits and pulled her out the fence. Only then did her breathing slow. She looked up at me. "Kunzite?" She laughed and gave me a huge hug. "Kunzite! You saved me! I thought you were dead!"

I stood there awkwardly, then patted her on the shoulder. "I don't know how to tell you this, but nothing happened in there."

She looked in the courtyard with its felled trees and scattered bones. "What do you mean nothing happened?"

"You did all that by yourself."

"Didn't you see the smoke? The stone arms? The flying monsters?" She gave me a pitying look. "Oh, I get it. You don't remember."

I sighed. "Look at your arms. Do you see any bruises?"

She peeled back her gloves and sleeves and her eyes goggled. "So it was all an illusion?"

"A very powerful illusion." I retrieved her sword from the ground and walked back to hand it to her. "But one that only works on moon people I would guess."

Venus frowned at the house. "Ok, now I'm getting angry at whoever or whatever is doing this." She grabbed the rope and knotted one end to the fence and the other around her waist. "Let get in that house."

I had to lead her by the arm, and occasionally pull her along when she was convinced she was stuck. She closed her eyes and sang "not real" to herself over and over. Eventually we reached the door, now completely open as a result of Venus's random attacks. We entered and our warrior reflexes kicked in and we stood back to back, surveying our surroundings for possible avenues of ambush.

"Do you feel that?" Venus asked.

"Feel what?"

"The weakness. The dizziness. You know, it feels like I haven't slept in a week."

I cocked an eye at her. "I take it you have never actual gone a week without sleep? It turns you into a gibbering idiot."

You know what I mean. I'm getting drowsy. Like if I blink I won't want to open my eyes again."

"Probably another illusion. Or an after-effect of the last one."

Venus pointed. "What is that?" In the distance we could see a hemisphere of glass set in the ceiling.

At last, something on the moon I recognized. "That's a sun orb."

"A what?"

"A sun orb. It amplified the heat and light of the sun. If it were daytime you'd see a concentrated beam coming out of the center of it."

"To what purpose?"

"Mainly to heat water for use in our plumbing. See the big wheel near it? That allows you to turn the orb so that doesn't gather too much dust or snow. You don't use these on the moon?"

"No, we do not. Not ever in our history. Which makes it very curious what it is doing here at all."

Venus had run out of rope so she set about untying herself while I went toward the sun orb. I found myself in a octagonal chamber. Directly under the sun orb was a plinth with a black crystal on it. Around the plinth was a black pool of fluid that appeared to be boiling. The crystal was glowing, even in the darkness, and sent out seven beams of light, one for each color of the rainbow. Where the colored light hit was an ancient corpse, blacken-skinned and chained to a post. They all appeared to die screaming. I could see shadows on the wall, as if there were people standing there to cast them. I thought it might be residue of some sort, until I saw the shadows move to look at me.

I backed away from the room.

Venus was still trying to get the knot around her waist untied. "What's back there?"

"I'm guessing it's something very, very bad."

"Really?" She took a few steps forward and continued fumbling with the knot. "Like, how bad?" She took two more steps and a shriek filled the air. Then a beam of pure dark shot out of the room I was just in, shot right through me, and threw Venus back several feet until she landed on her back, eyes open and unmoving. Then the top half of her folded up into a seated position, her mouth opened and a light flowed out and shot right into the room.

Venus!" I screamed.

She fell back and didn't move.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I turned the handle and the bike sped to life. I cranked it up to full speed and Venus shouted as her limp body rattled about. I'd bound her wrist and ankles together and wrapped her around me to keep her on the bike, but there was nothing to support her head. I held her against my chest as best I could, but most of the time I needed both hands to steer the bike. We tore through the moonscapes and I braced myself as we drove through the curtain of light and reemerged in the civilized world. People screamed and swore and we barreled past, dodging traffic instead of yielding but I didn't want to slow down. I wasn't even sure I knew how.

After what seemed like forever, the palace came into view. I decided to take a shortcut across the ice rink.

Venus whispered softly in my ear. "Stop. Idiot. Not the ice. You'll kill us both."

I swerved at the last second, tearing through rose bushes and other small plants lining the frozen pond. As soon as I reached the steps of the palace I brought the bike squealing to an abrupt stop and leapt off, scooping Venus's legs up and running with her in my arms.

Mars came out in a short red silk robe, worn open. She put her fists on her hips and stared at the ropes binding Venus. "What in the demon realms did you do to her?"

I didn't even slow down so she ran to catch up with me. "She got blasted by something out there. She's alive right now but we need to get her to a healer."

"Out where? The dark side? She took you to the dark side, didn't she? Oh, that dumbass!"

"Are you going spend all day berating people, or are you going to find a healer?"

"I'll go get the Queen." She ran off.

On the way to Jupiter's room I passed Endymion and the princess. They were walking hand in hand, but when they saw me run past, they broke off and chased after me. I set Venus on the bed and the others crept over to have a look while I untied the ropes from her wrists and ankles.

"It's ok," Venus said. "I'm just tired. Very, very tired."

She wasn't okay. She hadn't moved at all since she'd been blasted and her skin looked gray behind the mask she wore.

The princess pushed us away and rested her hand on Venus's chest. A white light appeared. Venus remained limp. The princess's eyes filled with tears and her voice took on a hysterical tone. "It's not working. I can't heal her. It's not working."

"Kunzite, what's going on? Who is that?" Endymion said, edging closer.

"That's Sailor Venus," I said.

"No it isn't," he said. "I know what Sailor Venus looks like and that's not her."

Jupiter reached down and tore the mask from Venus' face.

Endymion jumped back in shock. He took the mask and examined it in his hand. Then we all turned as the queen appeared in her white dress, followed by Mars.

The princess wiped the tears from her eyes. "Mommy, I don't know what's wrong with her. She's not getting better."

The Queen placed her hands on Venus's chest and a strong white light appeared.

Venus raised one hand examined her fingers, and then let her hand drop. "I think I'm fine now."

"You are far from fine. You've been drained of all your energy," the queen informed her coldly. "I've lent you some of my own, but you need to rest for several months. Your magic is gone, as is almost all of your life-force. You may recover some of your strength, probably enough to walk again, but you will never recover your powers."

"What?" Venus' eyes were large with horror.

"Who did this to you?" The queen asked.

"I don't know. I did not get a look at it. Kunzite saw more than I did."

The queen looked at me. "Kunzite, what happened here is very dark magic. Venus is not in any immediate danger, but if we're to have any hope of restoring her to what she was, you must tell me exactly what you saw."

I explained everything I remember that occurred beyond the fence. The others listened in silence until I finished.

"I knew it, they went to the dark side," Mars shouted and the others shushed her.

"You should pay more attention to what goes on there," I said. "It appears that the House of No Return is either a tower of necromancy, or an active temple that practices human sacrifice. Neither bodes well for your kingdom."

"Do you know what did this, Mommy?" the princess asked.

The queen shook her head. "There are rumors of ancient artifacts. Some which rival the power of the Silver Crystal, but this does not sound like any of those artifacts. More likely it's just a shard of some evil relic. This is not much of a concern but it bears further investigation. I will consult with my advisors on how to proceed in this matter. In the meanwhile you all need to get some sleep."

"Not much of a concern?" Mars stamped her foot. "Venus has lost all of her powers! You even said she might never walk again. You should wake all your soldiers and proceed to this place immediately!"

The queen gave her a regal look. "I also said she is in no immediate danger. She will need to rest for a few days in any case. My power is more than great enough to deal with any amount of black magic, in due time, so see no point in behaving rashly."

"I do." The others looked at me. "There is a sun orb at the top of this place. That leads me to believe whatever evil exists there is stronger in the daytime. And it has no effect on me. We should strike now, before we lose these advantages."

The queen shook her head. "We haven't determined what this crystal is or what it is capable of. The relationship between our kingdoms has always been strained. Until we investigate, I do not dare risk danger to an Earthman."

"Two Earthmen," Endymion said, taking his place at my side. "I'm going with him."

"Absolutely not," the queen said. "You will both go to your suite and remain there until I am certain there is no danger."

"Fine," Endymion said and stomped off.

I wasn't willing to give up so quickly. "With all due respect, Your Grace, you have no authority over me. I am the Earth king's warlord. I risk my life as a matter of course. To restore Venus, I vow to smash this crystal this very night, and there is nothing anyone can say that will convince me to do otherwise."

Venus rolled on her side and gave me a weak smile. "Thank you," she murmured, almost too quiet to hear.

The queen sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that. Girls, arrest him."

None of them made a move except to gasp.

"On what charges?" Jupiter asked.

"On charges of endangering the life of a diplomat. You and the prince are to spend the night under house arrest. The doors to your suite will be locked. I will summon ten armed guards to be posted outside them at all times." She walked away. "Do not worry, you will be pardoned in the morning."

I submitted to the arrest, of course. Like the queen said, this was a diplomatic mission.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I sat on the bed and seethed in my own uselessness. I could hear the guard girls talking outside. Beyond the door that separated my room from Endymion's there was only silence. That door had no lock, this was typical for princes traveling with a bodyguard. In fact we were so used to this that he had a habit of just walking into my room without knocking. It's was a habit I'd been trying to break him of since I wasn't always alone.

I went to the door and knocked softly, "Endymion, are you awake."

I got no response. He'd been asleep since I got there. The guards peeked in on him buried under his blanket before they locked us in. For a man who had been so eager to play the hero not very long ago, he had certainly nodded off quickly.

Then my spine grew cold with comprehension. "Endymion!" I shouted. "Get out of bed this instant and open this door."

Silence.

I threw open the door and went to his bed and pulled back the covers. All I saw was a pile of blankets. I sank onto the bed and swore under my breath. That fool was going to the dark side. All alone. I just knew it. And the terrible thing about it was I was trapped and couldn't even do my job to protect him.

I tried the door to the hallway and then banged on it. "Open this door. The prince has escaped."

"Nice try, but we're not falling for that one," came back a girlish singsong.

I gave the door one last punch with my fist, then looked at my phone.

"Endymion," I said, picturing his face in my mind.

To my surprise that actually worked.

"Hello, Kunzite," Endymion's image said. He was wearing his tuxedo with a white rose in his buttonhole and I could see the cityscape behind him. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't a desolate moonscape.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the city. I'm taking Serenity to the opera."

The opera? With everything that was going on, they decided to go to the opera?

The princess' face ducked in front and waved. "Hiya, Kunzite."

"I'm sorry, princess, but Endymion can't take you to the opera tonight. Endymion, get back here right now!"

"Why?" asked the prince.

"Because you're supposed to be under house arrest."

"Nobody told me that."

The princess ducked in again. "Yes I did. I told him that."

The prince flushed. "It doesn't matter. I'm not going back. I promised Serenity I'd take her to the opera and I'm taking her to the opera."

Serenity nodded. "He did. He promised he'd take me to the opera. To get my mind off Venus for a while."

"Endymion, get back here now. You made me promise to protect you, and I can't protect you from behind a locked door."

"Relax. Serenity will protect me. She's really powerful." He tilted his head so he was out of my sight. "Go buy the ticket. I need to have a word with Kunzite in private." He smiled at me. "Kunzite?"

"Yes?"

"I think I'm in love. With Serenity. Isn't that wonderful?"

I wished he were still in his room so I could smack him. "No. Not really. She doesn't seem that bright."

"Are you kidding me? Serenity not smart? She's super smart. So smart that most people don't understand her. She's got everything figured out. I'd rather listen to her talk than do just about anything else. I love her so much I don't even want to have sex with her."

"That sounds dreadful."

"No it isn't. It's wonderful. I want our love to start off pure. She's eighteen. I told her the age of consent for unmarried people in my kingdom is nineteen, and guess what she told me she wants for her birthday?"

"You know, if you actually love her, you really shouldn't be telling me these things."

He blushed. "Oh, right. I got carried away. Anyway, she's the kindest, sweetest, all around best person I've ever met. She doesn't have an ounce of evil in her. She gave me this rose."

"Yes," I sighed. "I know. I was there."

"It's imbued with her essence so it will never wilt. Isn't that wonderful? I can carry a bit of her around everywhere I go. And I've realized something else, too."

"I can't hardly wait for you to tell me."

His face became somber. "I've realized what a pervert Beryl is. She's a disgusting immoral monster. Did you know we first had sex years before my coming of age? I won't tell you how many years before my coming of age, but it was more than two."

"Endymion, get back-"

"Ok, I was fifteen. What sort of middle-aged woman looks at a fifteen year old boy and thinks 'I'd really like to have sex with him'? She's sick in the head, I tell you. I can't believe I wanted to marry her."

"Endymion-"

"Serenity's coming back. Got to go. Bye."

The phone went blank. I tried calling him back but got no response. I went to my room and lay on my back for a long time with my fingers steepled. There was a commotion going on outside. I didn't think it was any of my business, until someone unlocked and then kicked open the door.

It was Mars, wearing a black leather outfit similar to Venus's, only her boots had silvery stiletto heels and she had a keyhole cutout above her cleavage.

Behind her, the soldiers guarding my room were tied back to back to one another, trying to mutter through the tape on their mouth.

"Well come on," she beckoned. "Let's get over to the dark side before one of these guards gets loose."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Mars didn't bother with a mask. We tore through the dark side on a motorcycle, with her raven hair whipping in my face. Before, the people at the bonfire looked weak and frightened. Now they were shambling toward us. Blocking the road.

"I think you've been recognized," I said.

"Grab the handlebars. I'll deal with this," she said, and then put her thumbs and forefingers together. "FIRE SOUL!"

A fireball spiraled away from her fingers and struck the road in front of the mob. They kept advancing.

She sneered. "So much for the warning shot. FIRE SOUL!" This time the fireball struck the man at the head of the pack and the others scattered as he was engulfed in flames and fell screaming to the side of the road.

I eyed his charred remains as we went past. She smiled back at me. "Don't look so horrified. He was probably a child rapist."

"It's still a pretty horrific way to die."

"Oh, what do you with child rapists on Earth?"

"We hang them," I said.

Mars sneered. "Where's the fun in that?"

I could see that Mars was a very different kind of moon girl than Venus was. "So why are you out here? I thought you don't go to the dark side."

"I don't. But I'm a spiritual medium, so if this place is haunted, the two us working together have the greatest chance of success."

"But why tonight? Why not wait for the queen?"

"Because Venus is suffering and she's very dear to me."

Mars and Venus, an interesting pair. The demon and the angel, the raven and the dove.

"So what happens when the queen finds out?" I asked.

"Don't worry. I'll tell her I overpowered you and dragged you here against your will."

"I meant, what happens to you?"

This time Mars turned her head to look at my face. "Why do you care?"

"Because you're Venus's friend and she's very dear to me as well."

She smirked and looked back at the road. "Finally, Venus has found herself a guy who isn't a complete loser."

"That isn't much of a compliment."

"It wasn't really intended as one."

We pulled over the fence and she stopped the bike. She handed me a warhammer out of her saddlebag. "You can use this to smash the crystal. Meanwhile, I'll see what I can find out about this place.

She scaled the wall with her high heel boots until she was standing at the top and uttered a chant. She waited then called down to me. "Nothing. Whatever is happening in there is not spiritual in origin."

"I suppose you'll want to wait out here."

"Not a chance."

"Then come down here and take my hand, since I'll have to lead you through the illusions."

She shot me a nasty look and leapt up toward the house, twirling like a corkscrew. She soared higher and further than humanly possible before landing with her feet together on a sturdy branch. She used it as a springboard to leap to the next tree, where she did a backward somersault to a third, then landed in the doorway.

"That will work, too," I conceded, and went over to join her.

We entered the entryway and I pointed through the corridor. "You don't want to go past that point because that's where Venus fell."

"Good to know." She held her hand out. "Can I see your phone?"

I took it off and gave it to her and she laced it through my belt. "There, now I can see what you see." She bent to my crotch. "Sailor Mars."

"Don't do that again," I said.

"Don't think I liked it any more than you did." She answered her phone. "So what's the plan?"

"My plan is to go in there, smash the crystal, and then get out."

"Sounds good to me. Let me know if you run into any trouble and I'll send a fireball hurling your way."

"I'd really rather you didn't." I started the long trek down the hall.

When I reached the room I heard Mars utter "Holy shit. That is one creepy looking chamber."

"Does any of this look remotely familiar to you?" I asked.

"No. I'd remember if I saw anything this messed-Oh, crap!"

"What?"

"There's someone coming! Kunzite, grab your phone and look. He's just walking through the boneyard with a sword in his belt and he's staring right at me... no wait. It's okay."

"Do you know him?"

"No… but he's too gorgeous to be evil. Look."

I unhooked the phone and saw a black-haired man wearing a tuxedo with a white rose in his buttonhole. He wore a cape, and a mask over his eyes. I was absolutely certain I'd never seen anyone like him before.

"Who are you?" Mars asked when he reached her.

"I am a friend," the man in the tuxedo answered.

I heard Mars scoff. "I don't have that many friends, so I'm fairly certain you aren't one of them."

"I am a friend to all who fight for love and justice."

"Great, a poet," Mars said. "Just what we need right now."

"Ask him what his name is." I said.

The masked man heard that. He smiled and looked right at the phone. "What do you think my name is?"

"I have absolutely no idea," I said.

"Guess," he said.

Mars scoffed. "Tuxedo Mask?"

The man nodded. "Not bad. Now if you will excuse me, I will join our friend in the inner sanctum."

Mars' hand appeared on his chest. "Sorry. Can't allow it. One idiot at a time back there. Besides, I've been informed that we'll turn to jelly if we take six more steps. You just wait here with me until he smashes the crystal. Which he could do momentarily, once we both stop yapping."

I set the phone down on a post so I wouldn't have to hold it. The chamber looked just as I had left it before. Same glowing black crystal, same boiling pool, same mummified remains, same ghastly shadows wandering about in the confines of the colored light. The shadows saw the warhammer in my hand and tensed like prisoners watching their warden.

Best to get it over with.

I swung the hammer at the crystal and it rang like a chime. The impact didn't break it. Not even a chip or a fracture. A great hissing began and the glow around the black crystal expanded and took shape. The shadows drew back against their walls with their hands clutching as if they were trying to climb their way to the ceiling.

I had a bad feeling about this.

I heard Mars scream. "Oh, shit! Get out of there, Kunzite!"

I tried to make a quick retreat, but the chains from the posts closest to the door snaked out and formed a crisscross to bar the exit.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Kunziiiite." A woman's voice echoed and the dark glow around the crystal formed an eighth shadow face, more rough-hewn and alien than the others. "Earthman. Warrior. Murderer. Did you think I would not know your kind?"

A bit of the shadow bought off and shot toward me like a meteor. It entered my chest and then flowed back out again.

"Yesss," it hissed. "You've spilled the blood of a thousand men. A born killer, you will make an exquisite Youma! Enter the pool and accept your baptism."

A tendril of the smoke shot out and wrapped itself around me and pulled me toward the pool.

I grabbed the chains in front of me and braced myself with them, knowing it probably wouldn't be enough.

"Kunzite, I can't get a clean shot at it with you standing there," Mars shouted.

I had a feeling fire wouldn't do much good anyway. I stared back at the shadow face, looking for a weakness. The lessor shadows cowered in terror. The pool was bubbling over. The crystal glowed like it was hit by the sun. The shadow chuckled and the chains I was clutching fell away from the exit. I kept my grip on one, and used it to pull my way to a post.

"FIRE SOUL!" Mars screamed, and a ball of fire shot toward the shadow and the crystal, doing absolutely nothing.

"Accept your destiny, Earthman," the shadow said. "Your weapons cannot harm me. Your strength will not last forever."

I didn't respond. The tendril of shadow wasn't strong enough to pull me into the pool. Not as long as I kept the grip on the chain and the post. I wrapped the chain around one arm and braced the other, as well as one foot, behind the post. I could hold this position for hours if I needed to, but soon the sun would appear. Which would likely strengthen the shadow by a hundredfold.

My only hope was for Mars to ride back to the palace to summon the Queen. That's not what she did. Instead, she tried to leap into the room. Her seemingly lifeless body made it as far as the threshold before it stopped sliding across the floor. She sat up mechanically and her mouth opened, omitting a white light that flowed into the boiling pool before she fell back down

The shadow flared larger. "Magnificent! Now I have the strength of TWO Senshi! This fight is over for you."

The tendril now pulled me so hard that I lost my grip on the post and had to grip the chain with both hands to keep my footing. I tensed my muscles to keep the bones from being ripped from my arm. I could only survive a few minutes of this.

I got a faint reprieve as the fool in the tuxedo entered the chamber with his sword drawn. "Stop this evil endeavor at once. This man is not yours to command."

The mist entered his chest and the shadow spoke. "Arrogant human. You presume to give a lecture to a god! You are strong, but soft from a lifetime spent in a palace. You are of little use to me. When I am done with your friend I will have him tear the living flesh from your bones before I toss them into the yard."

A tendril wrapped around the masked figure, but rather than drag him into the pool, it held him in place. He strained against it, pulling himself backward. I could see what he was doing. He was hoping to force the shadow to divide her strength between us. It seemed to work. The trouble was, since he had nothing to brace him, she could easily finish him off with a flick into the pool and then turn her full strength upon me.

He survived only because she vowed to finish me first. Maybe he wasn't such a fool after all.

"Answer me this," he said. "If you are as powerful as you claim you are, why are you confined to this crystal?"

The shadow laughed. "You think I am confined to this crystal? You lackwit! This crystal is not a prison. It is a portal! What you are seeing is only the merest fraction of my essence, projected through an unbreakable crystal."

"There is no such thing as unbreakable crystal. Crystals start out broken by their very nature."

"It is unbreakable as far as you are concerned. It can only be broken by celestial forces. By a divinely anointed weapon, wielded by a paragon of virtue. Even if you had such a weapon, I've seen into your souls. Nobody in this chamber even remotely qualifies."

The fool struggled in her grasp. "Do not underestimate-"

"Enough of you. You bore me. The shadow flicked him away from the chamber, where he tripped over Mars' fallen form and fell away from my sight. The chain rose and blocked the entryway. "Run for help. Or don't. It won't make any difference. Your friend will soon be mine in either case."

The bone tearing pressure returned and I braced myself once again.

"Why do you struggle against your destiny, Kunzite? You will be the greatest of the great youma. Why content yourself with life as a palace pet when your very name can inspire terror for all eternity?"

I made no response. I needed all my concentration just to keep my arm from snapping. I had no idea what a youma was. All I knew was I had no intention of becoming one.

"Very well," the shadow said. "If you will not approach the pool, I will send the pool to approach you." A spout rose up from the pool and took the shape of a serpent, slithering its way in my direction.

There was nothing left for me to do but accept the inevitable. I had no chance. Not unless the queen miraculously appeared and used her fabled powers to fight this shadow god. The queen had no reason to be here. I hoped for her anyway, watching the exit for a sign of her moth white hair. I had to. The boiling serpent crept close, it would be seconds know before I knew my fate.

The masked fool reappeared in the entryway, ducking under the chain. "Kunzite! Hold on! Don't give up!" he screamed. From the way he said my name, it sounded like he knew me. It hardly seemed important.

He swung his sword at the crystal and nothing happened. The shadow threw him back, but with no more effort than I'd use to swat a fly while sleeping.

Then something remarkable happened. The masked man crouched in place. "A divinely anointed weapon...wielded by a paragon of virtue...Of course..."

"Of course what?" I shouted. It sounded like pointless babble, but I was desperate at this point.

He said nothing but he smiled at me and reached for the white rose he wore in his buttonhole. At the time, I had no idea why, but the shadow knew of its significance.

"No!" the shadow screamed. The tendril released me and the serpent retreated. I only had an instant to marvel at my change in fortune before a chain wrapped itself around the masked fool, but not before he aimed the rose like a dart and threw it at the black crystal.

As soon as the stem struck the crystal it shattered. The black pool went clear. The colored lights disappeared and the shadows flew past and out of the chamber. The shadow god exploded into nothingness and we were plunged into darkness.

Nobody spoke. A ball of flame appeared near the floor, surrounded by a hand. By its light I saw Mars trying to stand. The masked man helped her rise and she expanded the flame until it served as a torch. I slumped in relief, but it was several seconds before I felt secure enough to release the chain around my arm.

"Alright," Mars said. "What did I miss?"


	14. Chapter 14

Epilogue

Venus rested on Jupiter's bed with her head on my knees as I sat alongside her on the mattress. "So you're telling me this guy defeated this all powerful dark god thing with a flower?" She claimed she was too weak to sit upright, yet Mars seemed to have made a complete recovery. I think she just wanted an excuse to snuggle.

"I don't understand it either," I said.

"I do," Princess Serenity said as she fished the last remaining bits out of the hot pot. "It must have been an enchanted flower."

"An enchanted flower?" Mars laughed. "That has got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Yes, an enchanted flower. An ordinary rose wielded by a handsome knight glowing with the power of true love." Serenity said around a mouthful of food.

Endymion tugged her pigtail. "More likely it was a magical rose, blessed by a girl born from the bloodline of a goddess. The dark creature said that the crystal could only be destroyed by an enchanted weapon, wielded by a paragon of virtue. So this demigoddess must have put some of her essence into the rose, and the point of the stem served as her weapon."

Serenity laced his fingers into her own. "I still think it was the power of love. There's nothing stronger."

"Amen," Jupiter said. "So, Serenity, how was the opera?"

"It was wonderful!" she said, and then gave us a scene by scene description.

"And what did you think of it?" Mars asked Endymion when she finished.

He shrugged. "To be honest, I wasn't paying any attention to the opera."

"Ahhhh," the princess said and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. Mars looked as if she was going to vomit at the sight of it.

"So how much of this do you remember, Mars?" Jupiter asked, no doubt to distract her from her jealousy.

The raven haired beauty shrugged. "I vaguely remember a dark energy taking over my mind. Forcing me to beat up all the guards and kidnap Kunzite. After that, everything is a complete blank until I woke up on the floor of the temple."

Her words startled me, but she gave me a sly wink and put a finger to her lips. Clever girl. She came up with an alibi to keep her from being punished by the queen. With the way everything turned out, it would be unreasonable for anyone to dispute it.

As if on cue, the door opened and Queen Serenity entered the room. Venus sat up, the princess released Endymion's hand, and the girls all sat at attention. "I heard what happened," the queen said. "It appears you all got very lucky."

I considered that a slight, but I had enough sense not to let the queen know that.

"The crystal was, as I suspected, only a minor artifact. The power behind it, however, was nothing trifled with."

"What was it, Mommy?" Serenity asked.

"An ancient sun goddess, weak from lack of worshippers but still powerful enough to be deadly if she finds the right followers. She is no threat to me, of course, but she has gained a small following among the people on the dark side. The call themselves the Cult of Metalia. According to my advisors it has been prophesied that her followers will make a blood sacrifice of the moon princess, at which time this goddess will be restored to her former glory. We did not pay much heed of these rumors. Until now."

"The moon princess? But… that's me," Serenity swallowed hard, her eyes as big as saucers. "I don't want to be a blood sacrifice!"

Endymion put his arm around her. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."

"That is more true than you know," the queen said. "I've spoken with your father the king, and he has agree to host the princess, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter in his castle on Earth."

"I get to go to Earth?" Princess Serenity said, her happy smile brightening the room.

"Only until this menace is eradicated from the face of the moon. In the meanwhile, Venus will disguise herself as you once again and serve as your proxy. Mars will stay as her handmaiden. Both are to stay in the palace as much as possible so as not to arouse suspicion. My guardians and I will deal the cult of vermin outside the wall."

"If I may," I said. "I would like to volunteer to stay as well. I can learn much from your soldiers and I may be of use to you."

The queen shook her head. "I'm afraid that would be foolish for the both of us. This evil deity has some familiarity of Earth. The design of her temple proves it. She will have amended her magics so that any advantage you enjoyed will be lost."

The princess flopped down on her back. "Oh let him stay, Mommy. Can't you see he and Venus are in love?"

Fortunately, that got a laugh from all the other girls, including Venus.

A smile broke through the moon queen's face. "Oh, I suppose there is no harm in a short stay." She turned to her daughter. "The king assures me you will be treated with the utmost respect and hospitality, but in any event, the three of you should be more of than a match for anything you find on earth."

"This is true," Endymion said. "The scariest thing you'll find on Earth is Kunzite, and he's staying here."

Actually that was pretty far from the truth. The court intrigues were just as lethal as anything on the battlefield. Plus, Earth in those days still had remnants of the undead. Ghost, ghouls, vampires, and other restless spirits. They were rare, of course, and none had been sighted near Elysium for centuries. Still, it might have made more sense to send Mars and to keep one of the other girls, yet I didn't make the suggestion. The thought of having both Venus and Mars around was an intriguing one. Not that I wanted to go on a kissing binge with the raven haired vixen. But if Venus did, I certainly wasn't going to look away.

"Then it's settled. Serenity, Mercury, Jupiter, pack up your things and prepare to travel to Earth in the morning. You should have a peaceful stay, but at the first sign of trouble, signal me, and I can have you back on the moon in an instant. Venus, you will be sleeping on Serenity's room tonight."

"Don't get my sheets dirty, you two," Serenity said.

Venus grinned. "I'm not making any promises."

So it was settled. Some of us would be staying, some would be going. During all this, everyone completely forgot about Beryl. Beryl was an easy person to forget in those days. She had no family. No real friends. I wonder now if things might have been different if someone had bothered to remember her every once in a while.

I was going to stay here on the moon and learn what I could. Mostly about fighting, but a little about Venus as well. I'd grown fairly fond of her over the last couple of days. I wasn't in love with her, of course. Not even close. However, she was the most interesting woman I'd ever met, and more than a match for me in combat. I wasn't looking for anything long term, but then, neither was she. My place was on Earth, hers was on the Moon. And in any case. I couldn't have married her even if I wanted to. Her laws forbade it. So for the next few days we could indulge in a little fun, a lot of friendship, and a bit of romance.

I failed to take into account that people change.

Feelings change.

Laws change.

The End


End file.
